Category: Questions

Oral & written questions in the Lords and Commons

Bishop of St Albans asks about support for COVID-19 vaccination in developing countries

The Bishop of St Albans tabled a question on support for COVID-19 vaccination programmes in developing countries on 2nd December 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support COVID-19 vaccination programmes in developing countries following the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom (Con): My Lords, the new variant omicron is showing us yet again that no one is safe until everyone is safe. Global vaccination continues to be vital for our defences against the pandemic and we are committed to making sure that people in the poorest countries get vaccines. We are a leading supporter of COVAX, which has delivered over 483 million vaccines to low and middle-income countries. This will rise to 1.8 billion doses by mid-2022.

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Bishop of Durham asks about number of child refugees in local authority care in the UK

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answer on 2nd December 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many child refugees are currently in looked after care in the UK.

Baroness Barran (Con): The department does not collect data on all child refugees that are currently in care, but does collect data on the number of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) who are looked after by local authorities in England. Of the 80,850 children looked after up to 31 March 2021, there were 4,070 UASC, down 20% from the previous year which was 5,060.

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Bishop of Exeter asks about reopening of railway lines in the south-west of England

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 1st December 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked Her Majesty’s Government, following the successful re-opening of the railway line between Exeter and Okehampton, what plans they have to reinstate the remaining section of the line between Okehampton and Calstock to secure an alternative route to Plymouth and Cornwall; what is the timetable for any such plans; and what assessment they have made of the risk of the Great Western Railway line to (1) coastal erosion, and (2) high seas.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about benefits of early years interventions

The Bishop of Gloucester tabled a question on the benefits of early years interventions for welfare and social mobility on 1st December 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of early years interventions on people’s welfare and social mobility later in life.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen (Con): My Lords, we know that the early years are key to children’s later life chances, and effective early support is crucial. That is why we have put unprecedented investment into childcare over the past decade, committed £153 million to support education recovery in the early years, rolled out the proven Nuffield Early Language Intervention, and have announced £300 million to create a network of family hubs and transform crucial Start for Life services.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about support for vulnerable elderly people using online financial services

On 30th November 2021, the Bishop of St Albans asked a question on the support and education available for elderly people accessing online financial services:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, with increasing numbers of bank branches being closed on high streets and the impact of Covid, the elderly vulnerable are having to negotiate the choppy waters of online banking like everybody else, in an environment where there are large numbers of online scams and frauds. What are Her Majesty’s Government doing to offer training and resources to try to protect the elderly vulnerable as they engage with online financial services?

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Bishop of Durham asks about vaccine donation in light of new Omicron variant of COVID-19

On 29th November 2021, the Bishop of Durham asked a question on plans for bilateral donation of vaccines, urging the government to commit to a global approach to vaccine donation:

The Lord Bishop of Durham: In the light of the new omicron variant that has dominated the news over the weekend, my colleague Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town urged those of us in rich countries to do better at narrowing inequality of vaccination rates, which are 7% in Africa and 70% in Europe. We must acknowledge that this virus knows no national boundaries and will spread, mutate and return to us in the way that we are seeing, so we need a global approach, not simply a bilateral approach. Will Her Majesty’s Government’s commit to redoubling efforts to seek a truly global approach to vaccine donation to ensure that people in all nations are safer?

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about historic debt related to non-delivery of tanks to Iran

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answer on 29th November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked Her Majesty’s Government what is the status of the £400 million debt owed to the government of Iran for the non-delivery of Chieftain tanks in 1979; and what steps they are taking to repay it.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about conditions for women in prisons

The Bishop of Gloucester received the following written answers on 29th November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester asked Her Majesty’s Government what age-specific training prison staff receive for working with female prisoners aged 18 to 24.

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Bishop of Chelmsford asks about the status of dual-nationals detained in Iran

The Bishop of Chelmsford received the following written answers on 29th November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of British Iranian dual nationals detained by the government of Iran; and what support they are providing (1) the detainees, and (2) their families.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about rates of homelessness among EU nationals in the UK

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 29th November 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government:

  • what assessment they have made of the number of EU nationals living in England who have become homeless since the UK formally withdrew from the EU.
  • what steps they are taking to alleviate homelessness among EU nationals living in England.
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